US 20110170973A1

(19) United States

(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2011/0170973 A1
VON PUTTKAMER et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jul. 14, 2011

(54) MULTI-BLADE SOLID CARBIDE DRILL Publication Classi?cation

_ (51) Int. Cl.
(75) Inventors. Ingo VON PUTTKAMER, 3233 51/02 (200601)
Messstetten (DE), Karl Trauner, B24B 19/04 2006 01
Bingen (DE); Armin Helbig, ( ' )
Albstadt (DE) (52) US. Cl. ......................................... .. 408/230; 451/48

(73) Assignee: GUEHRING OHG, Albstadt (DE) (57) ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a multi-blade solid carbide drill for
(21) Appl' NO" 12/946365 cutting high-strength sandwich materials. The tool comprises
. _ a shaft section and an adjoining cutting part, into Which a
(22) Flled' NOV' 15 2010 number of chip ?utes that corresponds to the number of main
. . blades is incorporated. In order to reinforce the curvature of
Related U's' Apphcatlon Data the resulting chip, the chip ?ute of the drill comprises a chip
(63) Continuation of application No. PCT/DE2009/ ?ute rib in the region of the chip formation Zone, said rib
000653, ?led on May 12, 2009. protruding from the chip ?ute surface and having a substan
tially Wave-shaped cross-section (28), and said rib dividing
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data the chip ?ute into tWo sections, a ?rst chip ?ute section (30)
forming the cutting rake and a second chip ?ute (32) forming
May 16, 2008 (DE) .................... .. 10 2008 023 856.2 the Chip ?ute runout

12
Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 1 0f 4 US 2011/0170973 A1
Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 3 0f 4 US 2011/0170973 A1
Patent Application Publication Jul. 14, 2011 Sheet 4 0f 4 US 2011/0170973 A1
US 2011/0170973 A1
MULTI-BLADE SOLID CARBIDE DRILL
[0001] The invention relates to a preferably multi-blade
solid carbide (VHM) drill for cutting high-strength sandwich
materials, in particular for drilling into a solid block of such
materials, according to the preamble of claim 1.
[0002] In order to introduce highly precise drill-holes into
sandWich materials, in particular composite materials, in
Which material layers With a predominant proportion of CFK
and/ or aluminium alternate With titanium layers or titanium
containing layers, particularly rigid and stable tools are
required, Which must also be characterised in that the blades
are permanently capable of cutting the composite material
With a good surface quality, Wherein delamination of the
composite layers should be avoided over the Whole useful life
of the tool.
[0003] For this purpose, special tools have been developed
in the past, for example a tool such as is described in German
utility model 20 211 592. Attempts have also already been
made to perform cutting With solid carbide drills according to
the preamble of claim 1, in order to ensure an improved useful
life of the blades and4especially in the case of deep drill
holesian improved positional precision of the drill-holes.
This positional precision and surface quality of the drill-holes
is required especially When cutting composite materials,
Which are ?nding increasing use in modern aircraft construc
tion. The individual material layers, Which may be arranged
in the most varied sequence, endoW the materials With a high
stability Whilst having a loW Weight. The drill-holes to be
introduced into such materials are often required in order to
rivet such components to one another. Since sensor-con
trolled robots are often used for this purpose, the positional
precision of such drill-holes is of particular importance.
[0004] It has been shoWn that a suf?cient stability of the
tool and also qualitatively high-grade blades can indeed be
made available With generic solid carbide drills. On the other
hand, hoWever, it has proved to be the case that even solid
carbide tools of the standard design often do not achieve the
required useful life, especially When relatively deep drill
holes have to be introduced into composite materials With
alternating layers of aluminium, ?bre-reinforced or carbon
?bre-reinforced plastic and titanium.
[0005] The problem underlying the invention, therefore, is
to develop a drill of the type described at the outset such that
it is capable, Whilst having an improved useful life, of also
introducing in a problem-free manner position-precise drill
holes of greater depth in the critical materials described at the
outset. A further aspect of the invention consists in making
available an economical method for producing such tools.
[0006] With regard to the tool, this problem is solved by the
features of claim 1 and, With regard to the method, by claim 9.
[0007] According to the invention, it Was knoWn that the
useful life of the tool can be increased quite considerably if
the chip in the ?ute base arising When drilling into a solid
block has a particularly sharp curvature. It has been shoWn in
protracted tests that this marked chip curvature, When cutting
composite materials of the type described at the outset, leads
to the chip breaking early, so that at the exit of the chip
formation Zone essentially discontinuous chips are present,
Which can easily be removed from the chip ?ute even When
drill-holes With a great depth, for example greater than 10><D,
are introduced into the material. Chip congestion, as Was to be
observed With conventional tools When cutting these materi
Jul. 14, 2011
als di?icult to machine, can be effectively avoided according
to the invention, so that a sudden tool breakage is reliably
eliminated. There is the additional advantage that the chip
?ute rib having a substantially Wave-shaped cross-section and
lying betWeen the ?rst and the second chip ?ute section leads
to an increase in the geometrical moment of inertia of the drill
cross-section and can thus be used to increase the stability of
the tool. At the same time, hoWever, this also means that the
core cross-section of the drill in the chip formation Zone can
be further reduced, so that a large chip space can be made
available despite the provided chip ?ute ribs. The removal of
the chips can be further improved by the shortening the chip
length, especially When the tool is provided With internal
coolant/ lubricant channels. The improvement in the cutting
properties arises equally for straight-?uted and helical-?uted
tools.
[0008] According to claim 9, hoWever, the solid carbide
drill can be produced economically, ie with an acceptable
time expenditure. The ?rst and second chip ?ute sections With
the chip ?ute rib lying betWeen the latter can either be ground
to siZe into a carbide blank as part of series machining With
tWo or more different pro?led grinding Wheels, or can be
producedithis being the subject-matter of claim 10iby
means of a single pro?led grinding Wheel. In this connection,
it is also possible to extrude the carbide sintered blank With a
mould Which essentially corresponds to the cross-sectional
shape of the cutting part in the state of use, taking account of
a speci?c machining dimension Which can vary in the milli
metre range.
[0009] An advantageous embodiment of the method is the
subject-matter of claim 11. With this method, it is possible to
adapt the chip space of the drill to the involved area of use of
the drill, for example to increase the chip space at the points
at Which the drill penetrates into the Workpiece or is sur
rounded by a guide sleeve When the tool is used as a deep-hole
drill.
[001 0] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the
subject-matter of the sub-claims.
[0011] When the tool is provided With point thinning, the
chip is lengthened toWards the centre of the drill, so that the
advantageous chip formation process described above and
based on the design of the chip ?ute according to the invention
can be extended to a larger cutting volume. Longer chips,
Which could lead to a chip congestion and ultimately to a
forced breakage of the drill, can thus be advantageously and
reliably prevented from occurring close to the centre of the
drill.
[0012] It has been shoWn that, as a result of the modi?cation
of the drill pro?le, ie as a result of the reshaping of the chip
?ute in the region of the chip formation Zone, a reduction in
the core cross-section of the drill is also possible at least in
this region. This reduction in the core cross-section is pos
sible particularly because the tool is made of solid carbide.
The small radii of curvature of the chip ?ute in the region of
the ?rst chip ?ute section necessarily resulting With the reduc
tion in the core cross-section can be accepted even When
machining extremely hard and tough materials, such as for
example in the machining of titanium, since the carbide is
readily capable of Withstanding the increased abrasive forces
due to the chip curvature. The useful life can of course be
improved by the fact that the drill bit is provided With a
suitable coating, for example a hard material coating, a soft
material layer or a combined hard and soft layer.
US 2011/0170973 A1
[0013] Particularly good results can be achieved With
extremely small radii of curvature of the ?rst chip ?ute sec
tion according to claim 4, Wherein the respective optimum
smallest radius of curvature is selected depending on the
material to be cut or on the employed quality of the solid
carbide used for the tool, i.e. the physical parameters of the
solid carbide.
[0014] As already mentioned at the outset, the design of the
drill according to the invention leads to an extreme chip
curvature and therefore to an early chip breakage, even When
fracture-resistant and tough materials, such as for example
titanium or composite materials With titanium layers, are
machined. In principle, the cross-sectional shape, or the chip
?ute shape, can be retained over the Whole length of the
cutting part. A further improvement in the chip removal can
hoWever be achieved With the development of claim 4.
[0015] The effects according to the invention can be
achieved When the special design of the drill cross-section is
retained at least in the chip formation Zone. HoWever, it may
be advisableidepending on the physical properties of the
material to be cutito retain this special cross-sectional
design of the drill also beyond the chip formation Zone over a
predetermined axial length, i.e. up to a predetermined mini
mum distance from the drill bit, and only then to alloW the
chip ?ute rib to run out into a continuous chip ?ute. It has been
shoWn that, in the case of high-strength sandWich materials,
this minimum distance is set in the range betWeen 2 and 5><D,
preferably betWeen 2 and 3><D
[0016] The design of the drill according to the invention has
particular advantages When the tool is provided With an inter
nal coolant/lubricant supply and When, as the case may be, the
cutting is carried out With a minimum quantity lubrication
(MQL technology). In this case, the ?oW of coolant can be
used effectively to improve the chip removal.
[0017] In Workpieces of the type described at the outset,
relatively deep holes With a drilling depth greater than 10><D
(Wherein D is the nominal diameter of the drill-hole) often
have to be introduced. In this case, the drills are often addi
tionally positioned by means of a guide bush at the Workpiece.
Especially When such an area of use of the tool is sought, it is
advantageous to design the core cross-section of the drill
according to claim 7. In this case, the chips acquire in the
decisive Zones an additional free space, through Which they
can be removed from the drill-hole effectively and quickly
and above all Without the risk of chip congestion, if need be
assisted by the ?oW of coolant/lubricant, Which has relatively
high ?oW rates in the chip ?ute.
[0018] Advantageous developments are the subj ect-matter
of the remaining sub-claims.
[0019] An example of embodiment of the invention is
explained beloW in greater detail With the aid of schematic
draWings. In the ?gures:
[0020] FIG. 1 shoWs a schematic side vieW of a drill accord
ing to the invention;
[0021] FIG. 1A shoWs, in an enlarged representation, the
plan vieW of the drill according to FIG. 1 With a vieWing
direction IA according to FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 2 shoWs, in an enlarged representation, a per
spective oblique vieW of the bit of the drill according to FIG.
1;
[0023] FIG. 3 shoWs, in a vieW corresponding to FIG. 2, the
representation of the emergence of the chip When the tool
according to FIGS. 1 and 2 penetrates into the Workpiece;
Jul. 14, 2011
[0024] FIG. 4 shoWs, on a very enlarged scale, the cross
section of the drill in the region of the chip formation Zone, i.e.
in the region of a cross-sectional plane close to the drill bit, for
example in the case of a cutting path according to IV-IV in
FIG. 1;
[0025] FIG. 5 shoWs a schematic representation of the
chips, such as occur When drilling With conventional tools in
Workpieces dif?cult to cut and;
[0026] FIG. 6 shoWs a schematic representation of the drill
ing chips, such as can be achieved With the design of the drill
according to the invention.
[0027] The tool represented in the ?gures is made from a
solid carbide, and preferably from carbide With a ?ne grain.
Carbide grades of this kind are su?iciently Well knoWn, so
that there is no need for a more detailed description of the
material. The decisive factor is that the carbide in the sintered
state should exhibit a high degree of toughness and, on
account of the ?ne-grain quality, offer the possibility of con
stituting stable and ?ne cutting edges.
[0028] The tool is used especially for cutting high-strength
sandWich materials, and in particular for drilling solid blocks
of such materials, Which usually have a composite structure
With alternating layers of carbon ?bre-reinforced plastic
(CFK), aluminium and titanium, Wherein the sequence of the
layers can vary depending on the intended use. When holes
are introduced, in particular deep holes Wherein the hole
depth is a multiple of the nominal diameter of the drill-hole to
be produced, these layers require extremely sharp cutting
edges on the one hand, but also reliable removal of the occur
ring chips. Especially in the case of the high-strength sand
Wich composite materials described at the outset, Which con
tain titanium-containing material layers, it has emerged With
the use of conventional solid carbide tools that chips become
congested in the chip ?utes and so-called concertina chips
arise, such as indicated for example in FIG. 5. Such chips can
no longer be removed e?iciently and completely from the
chip ?utes, especially When machining is taking place With
very high coolant/lubricant pressures of an internal coolant/
lubricant supply, such as employed With so-called minimum
quantity lubrication (MQL technology). Finally, such chip
congestion leads to early forced breakage of the drill, Which is
associated With considerable commercial consequences.
[0029] In contrast, the drill according to the invention has a
novel structure Which is described beloW.
[0030] The tool denoted by reference number 10 With inter
nal cooling channels 40 has a shaft section 12 and an adjacent
cutting part 14, into Which a number of chip ?utes 18 are
incorporated, said number corresponding to the number of
main cutting edges 16. Since the tool is made from solid
carbide, these ?utes 18 are usually ground into a cylindrical
solid carbide blank, Which is often provided With internal
cooling channels. The drill bit, Which is represented in per
spective on an enlarged scale in FIG. 2, has conventional point
grinding With main ?anks 20 and a transverse cutting edge 22.
The point grinding itself, i.e. the formation of the main ?anks,
can be provided and formed according to any standard meth
ods, so that a more detailed description of the geometry of
these ?anks is not necessary here.
[0031] With the example of embodiment of the tool shoWn,
transverse cutting edge 22 is shortened by the grinding-in of
a point thinning 24. In the embodiment shoWn according to
FIG. 2, a point thinning according to DIN 1412 Form A is
represented. It is hoWever equally possible to provide other
US 2011/0170973 A1
forms of point thinning, for example forms of point thinning
With Which a correction of main cutting edge 16 is carried out
at the same time.
[0032] The distinctive feature of the tool represented in the
?gures consists in the fact that a special design of the drill
cross-section is provided in the region of the chip formation
Zone represented in FIG. 2, i.e. in the region in Which a
continuous chip arises on the main cutting edge and slides off
on the chip ?ute. The chip formation Zone can vary, depend
ing on the material to be cut and the run of the main cutting
edge, in particular on the selection of the point angle WSP
enclosed by main cutting edges 16 of the drill (see FIG. 1). As
a rule, the chip formation is terminated at a distance AM from
drill bit 26, Wherein dimension AM lies betWeen 2 and 5><D,
When D denotes the nominal diameter of the drill.
[0033] In this chip formation Zone, the drill has a cross
section such as is represented on an enlarged scale in FIG. 4.
It can be seen that in this region the drill has a chip ?ute
divided into tWo sections. A chip ?ute rib 28 having a sub
stantially Wave-shaped cross-section protrudes from an oth
erWise continuous chip ?ute surface indicated at the top of
FIG. 4 by a dot-dashed line. This chip ?ute rib therefore
divides the chip ?ute in this region into tWo sections, i.e. a ?rst
chip ?ute section 30 forming the cutting rake and a second
chip ?ute section 32 forming the chip ?ute runout. The height
of chip ?ute rib 28 denoted by H is governed according to the
curvature of ?rst chip ?ute section 30 and it preferably lies in
the range betWeen 0.05 and 0.15><D, Wherein the core cross
section of the drill in the region of the chip formation Zone
enters as an additional parameter for the selection of dimen
sion H. This diameter is denoted in FIG. 4 by reference
symbol DK and it lies in the range betWeen 0.15 and 0.25><D,
preferably betWeen 0.16 and 0.2><D.
[0034] It can be seen from the representation according to
FIG. 4 that, vieWed in cross-section, radius of curvature R of
?rst chip ?ute section 30 constantly diminishes With increas
ing distance from cutting edge corner 34, until it forms small
est radius of curvature r in the ?ute base before chip ?ute rib
28. This smallest radius of curvature r preferably lies in the
range betWeen 0.15 and 0.25><D, preferably betWeen 0.18 and
0.22><D, the dimension again denoting the nominal diameter
of the drill.
[0035] With the structure of the multi-blade solid carbide
drill described above, the folloWing effect arises during cut
ting, Which Will be explained in greater detail With the aid of
FIG. 3. The chip arising at main cutting edge 16 is denoted by
reference number 36 in FIG. 3.
[0036] In the schematic representation according to FIG. 3,
the Width of the chip corresponds to the length of main cutting
edge 16. It should hoWever be emphasised that the chip cani
depending on the formation of point thinning 24ialso reach
up to shortest transverse cutting edge 22. The decisive factor
is that, due to the special design of ?rst chip ?ute section 30,
i.e. due to the provision of chip ?ute rib 28 With a Wave
shaped cross-section, arising chip 36 acquires a greatly
increased curvature Which leads to an early chip breakage, i.e.
to the generation of so-called discontinuous chips, Which are
represented schematically in FIG. 6. This chip breakage
occurs even When extremely robust and rigid materials are
cut, such as titanium for example, Which occurs for example
in a composite structure of aircraft sandWich materials.
[0037] The chip pressure acting from chip 36 on chip ?ute
rib 28 is of course greater in the case of the design of the drill
according to the invention. As a result of the selection of the
Jul. 14, 2011
material, i.e. due to the fact that the tool produced from solid
carbide, this increased loading on the material can be readily
taken up. The drill is provided in this region With a suitable
coating if necessary, such as is knoWn in many cases in the
prior art. In this connection, reference is made for example to
coatings Which are described in detail for example in the
applicants tool catalogue (GiihringiWer Bietet Mehr?:
The Tool Company, issue in German 2006, price list no.
40). Such coatings serve to reduce the friction and/or to
reduce Wear. Use may be made of a carbide layer, such as for
example a layer of diamond, preferably nano-crystalline dia
mond, of TiN or of (Ti, Al)N or also a multi-ply layer. A
combination of a hard metal layer and a soft layer can also be
used, as required and depending on the material to be cut. The
layer is also governed according to the kind of carbide used in
each case and can be selected by the person skilled in the art
by consulting the published catalogue.
[0038] Chip ?ute rib 28 is no longer required from a mini
mum distance AM from drill bit 26. In this region (see FIG. 1
and FIG. 2), chip ?ute rib 28 gradually runs out into ?ute base
38, Which has already been indicated in FIG. 4 With a dot
dashed line. The core cross-section in the region of the chip
?ute outside the chip formation Zone can be kept unchanged,
or can even become smaller in order to improve the removal
of chips 36, Which can be assisted in particular by the coolant/
lubricant fed through the internal cooling channels, espe
cially When use is made of MQL technology. Especially When
the tool is used for the introduction of deep holes With a
drilling depth greater than 10><D, it may be advantageous to
increase the chip ?ute depth in the regions in Which the tool
penetrates into the material. This increase in the chip ?ute
depth can be extended to the region Which, When use is made
of the tool as a deep-hole drill, remains guided in a guide bush
outside the Workpiece. In order to increase the stability of the
tool, the chip ?ute depth can increase gradually or abruptly
outside these regions enclosed by spaces.
[0039] For the production of the drill described above, it is
advantageous to proceed in such a Way that the chip ?ute
pro?le shoWn in FIG. 4 is either ground throughout With a
single form-grinding Wheel or such that a plurality of form
grinding Wheels are used, the latter being used one after the
other to form the pro?le shoWn in FIG. 4. Chip ?ute rib 28 can
then be ground aWay in the region outside the region denoted
by dimension AM in FIG. 1. It is also conceivable to extrude
the chip ?ute pro?le according to FIG. 4 With a suitable excess
amount together With the solid carbide blank in order to save
material and to minimise the cutting volume.
[0040] Departures from the described example of embodi
ment are of course conceivable Without going beyond the
scope of the invention.
[0041] Thus, for example, the solid carbide drill can be
constituted in a multi-part version, Wherein a solid carbide
part With the above-described structure forming the drill bit is
placed onto another part, Which is made from another mate
rial.
[0042] The tool can also be provided With internal cooling
channels. Straight ?utes can also be used instead of the helical
chip ?utes shoWn in the embodiments.
[0043] The tool can also be designed With more than tWo
cutting edges, Wherein each chip ?ute then comprises a chip
?ute rib described above in the region of a chip formation
Zone.
[0044] The invention thus creates a multi-blade solid car
bide. (VHM) drill for cutting high-strength sandWich mate
US 2011/0170973 A1
rials. The tool has a shaft section and an adjacent cutting part,
into Which a number of chip ?utes corresponding to the num
ber of main cutting edges are incorporated. In order to
increase the curvature of the occurring chips, the chip ?ute of
the drill has in the region of a chip formation Zone a chip ?ute
rib protruding out of the chip ?ute surface and having a
substantially Wave-shaped cross-section, said chip ?ute rib
dividing the chip ?ute into tWo sections, a ?rst chip ?ute
section forming the cutting rake and a second chip ?ute sec
tion forming the chip ?ute runout.
1. A solid carbide drill, With a shaft section and an adjacent
cutting part, into Which a number of chip ?utes are incorpo
rated, said number corresponding to the number of the main
cutting edges, and a drill bit provided With point grinding, the
respective chip ?ute of the drill comprising a chip ?ute rib
protruding out of the chip ?ute surface and having a substan
tially Wave-shaped cross-section, by means of Which chip
?ute rib the chip ?ute is divided into tWo sections, a ?rst chip
?ute section forming a cutting rake and a second chip ?ute
section forming a chip ?ute runout.
2. The drill according to claim 1, Wherein the drill bit
comprises a point thinning.
3. The drill according to claim 1, Wherein the core cross
section of the drill in the chip formation Zone lies in the range
betWeen 0.15 and 0.25><D, Wherein D corresponds to the
nominal diameter of the drill.
4. The drill according to claim 1, Wherein, vieWed in cross
section, the smallest radius of curvature of the ?rst chip ?ute
section before the chip ?ute rib lies in the range betWeen 0.15
and 0.25><D, Wherein D corresponds to the nominal diameter
of the drill.
5. The drill according to claim 1, Wherein the chip ?ute rib
gradually runs out into ?ute base at a predetermined mini
mum distance from the drill bit.
6. The drill according to claim 5, Wherein the minimum
distance lies in the range betWeen 2 and 5><D, Wherein D
corresponds to the nominal diameter of the drill.
Jul. 14, 2011
7. The drill according to claim 1, Wherein, When the drill is
used for drilling deep drill-holes, the core cross-section of the
drill folloWing the chip formation Zone is further reduced in
the region Which, during drilling, remains covered either by
the drill-hole Wall or a guide bush.
8. The drill according to claim 1, Wherein, vieWed in cross
section, the radius of curvature of the ?rst chip ?ute section
constantly diminishes With increasing distance from the cut
ting edge comer.
9. A method for producing a drill, Wherein chip ?utes are
ground into a solid carbide blank by means of a form-grinding
Wheel, the chip ?utes With a ?rst and second chip ?ute section
and a rib lying betWeen the latter, are ?rst introduced over the
Whole cutting part, and the chip ?ute ribs outside the chip
formation Zone are then ground aWay to unite the tWo chip
?ute sections to form a continuous chip ?ute.
10. The method according to claim 9, Wherein the ?rst and
second chip ?ute sections and the rib lying betWeen the latter
are ground by means of a single form-grinding Wheel.
11. The method according to claim 9, Wherein the penetra
tion depth of the form-grinding Wheels used to produce the
chip ?utes is changed over the axial length of the drill.
12. The drill according to claim 3, Wherein the core cross
section of the drill at least in the chip formation Zone lies in the
range betWeen 0.16 and 0.20><D.
13. The drill according to claim 4, Wherein, vieWed in
cross-section, the smallest radius of curvature of the ?rst chip
?ute section before the chip ?ute rib lies in the range betWeen
0.18 and 0.22><D.
14. The drill according to claim 6, Wherein the minimum
distance lies in the range betWeen 2 and 3><D.
15. A method for producing a drill according to claim 9,
Wherein a chip ?ute depth changes in the axial direction.
* * * * *